Places

The Sustainable Places Research Institute is combining experts in buildings, energy systems, rural and urban communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, health, and policy-making in a way which has not been done before, enablingus to address the management and policy needs for integrated place-based solutions, and also to address one of the biggest global questions we face; how can we create sustainable places?

The Research Institute aims to 'model' how changes in local and national infrastructures, individual changes in behaviour and global changes in climate and land-use will affect sustainable practices in the future. Through new scientific approaches it will place stronger emphasis on sustainable living within sustainable Landscapes and City regions by studying the complex and dynamic interrelations between ecosystems, society and economy.

By studying these interactions at local, national and international levels, we place ourselves at the centre of global debates, drawing on existing expertise in the scientific fields of planning, applied social and psychological sciences, business and law, biological and earth sciences, engineering, architecture and health.

We have been working with the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Chinese Society for Urban Studies and Shenzhen Institute of Urban Planning and Design on the project: Shenzhen Eco-city Development Indicator System.

We are collaborating on a series of research grants funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture (OMAFRA) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), involving a wide range of stakeholders and academics from across the Province.